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Casa Romantica’s Summer Lineup Features Concerts, Movies and Family Fun

07.12.26

With several events already sold out and summer in full swing, Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is continuing its busy season with concerts, outdoor movies, family programs, workshops and cultural events throughout July and August.

Set against the backdrop of its historic home and sweeping Pacific Ocean views, the San Clemente landmark is offering a variety of experiences for all ages.

The summer concert series continues July 15 and 16 with the Blue Breeze Band performing Motown, R&B, soul, funk and blues in the courtyard. Reserved tables have sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.

On July 17, the Coffee Concert Series, presented in partnership with High Tide Coffee, welcomes Kyara Kalb. Singer-songwriter Molly Bergman will perform Aug. 21.

Garden lovers can meet with UC Master Gardeners during Ask a Master Gardener on July 19. The sold-out Casa Kids Creative Camp returns July 20 through 24. During camp week, the public is invited to visit beginning at 1 p.m. each day to enjoy a picnic, stroll the gardens and explore current exhibitions.

Casa Romantica’s popular Summer Film Series continues with screenings of Three Amigos on July 21 and Men in Black on Aug. 25. Guests are invited to bring blankets and enjoy movies under the stars in the courtyard.

August programming includes Free Family Sunday: National Coloring Book Day on Aug. 2, featuring complimentary admission and family-friendly art activities; Mamboson Salsa Night on Aug. 6; the Garden Spotlight: Plant to Plate workshop on Aug. 12; Casa Kids with artist Fay Wyles on Aug. 15; the inaugural Members Trivia Night on Aug. 28; and Paint Like Pollock, a hands-on youth art workshop, on Aug. 29.

Visitors can also explore the current exhibitions, Through the Decades: Artists That Shaped the Festival of Arts in the Main Gallery and The Studio: David Lang, while enjoying Casa Romantica’s gardens, historic architecture and ocean views.

For more information and tickets, visit Casa Romantica’s website.

415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente. (949) 498-2139

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A True Full-Circle Moment: Artist Brothers Use ChatGPT to Help Create Bonita Canyon’s 50th Anniversary Mural

07.08.26

Shelby and Sandy, two brothers and professional artists, are returning to Bonita Canyon Elementary in Irvine with a meaningful mission: creating a mural to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary.

For the artists, the project is deeply personal. Bonita Canyon is the elementary school they attended as children, and returning to the campus as working artists has made the mural feel especially significant.

“Coming back to our elementary school to create this mural was incredibly meaningful because it’s where so much of our creativity first began,” Shelby said. “Being able to contribute something lasting for the school’s 50th anniversary feels like a true full-circle moment.”

The project was designed as a community effort from the beginning. Current students and faculty shared drawings and ideas that helped inspire the mural’s final design. Shelby and Sandy wanted the finished piece to reflect the imagination of the people who make up the school today, while also honoring the campus that helped shape their own creative paths.

“Making this project a collaboration with the students and faculty made it even more special,” they said. “Their drawings, ideas, and imagination helped inspire the final piece, and we wanted the mural to feel like something created by the entire school community.”

The mural also marks a new step in the artists’ creative process. Shelby and Sandy used ChatGPT and its image-generation tools for the first time to explore concepts before beginning the hand-painted final piece. The technology helped them test visual directions and bring early ideas into focus before paint went on the wall.

“This was also our first time using ChatGPT and its image-generation tools as part of our creative process,” they said. “It was exciting to use a tool that shows how technology can unlock creativity.”

The completed mural was revealed during a ribbon-cutting celebration with students, school leaders, and families.

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